Mailbox Game

ABSTRACT

A mailbox game includes a mailbox having a rectangular container or box with an opening, a lid and a hinge that attaches the lid to the box to cover the opening. The game also includes play stamps having an adhesive backing. The mailbox may have a rotating flag that is attached to the box and there may also be a dial with which to provide a mailbox status of full or empty. The mailbox game includes a method of providing a toy mailbox, mounting the mailbox on or adjacent to a door inside of a residence, depositing mail in the mailbox, and manipulating a signal device to indicate that mail has been deposited into the mailbox. The mailbox game may include writing on a marking area positioned on the mailbox to be viewed by a person passing by the mailbox or depositing mail therein.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO THE RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation-in-Part of the utility patentapplication, Ser. No. 11/538,050, filed on Oct. 2, 2006, entitledMailbox Game, which claims the priority of U.S. provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 60/721,628 filed on Sep. 30, 2005, entitled MailboxGame.

BACKGROUND

This invention relates generally to games and, more particularly, to amailbox game in which a toy mailbox is mounted to a door of a roominside a residence and into which letters from family members may beinserted so as to promote letter writing and strengthening of familyrelationships.

Children are increasingly using the e-mail, instant messaging, andmobile telephones to communicate. This style of communication requiresvery little proper grammar and punctuation. As a result, children may beexperiencing a loss of some reading and writing skills. Thus, a needexists to promote more formal written communication.

Therefore, it would be desirable to have a game that promotes familyunity, letter writing skills, creativity, and imagination by simulatinga postal service within a residential family setting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The mailbox for children is a creative idea that broadens children'sworlds by giving them a sense of independence and importance. Themailbox creates excitement for them when they check to see if they havemail. It encourages families to actually write letters again and buildsfamily unity through the children. As a result, communication within thefamily and with friends is greatly enhanced and will help to revitalizeand revolutionize letter writing.

In one general aspect, a mailbox game includes a mailbox having arectangular container or box with an opening, a lid and a hinge thatattaches the lid to the box to cover the opening. The game also includesplay stamps having an adhesive backing.

Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide a mailboxgame in which a toy mailbox may be mounted to or adjacent to a bedroomdoor or anywhere within the proximity of a child's bedroom within aresidence for the delivery of pretend mail.

Another object of this invention is to provide a mailbox game, asaforesaid, that promotes letter writing and family unity.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a mailbox game, asaforesaid, that is intuitive to play and easy to set up.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration andexample, embodiments of this invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mailbox used in the game according toa preferred embodiment of the present invention with a lid in a closedconfiguration;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mailbox as in FIG. 1 with the lid inan open configuration; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the mailbox as in FIG. 1 with signallights in use as the mail signal device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a toy mailbox 100 used in the game. Themailbox 100 is a generally rectangular box 102 with an opening, a lid104 and a hinge 105 that attaches the lid 104 to the box 102 to coverthe opening. Preferably, the mailbox 100 includes rounded edges thatprovide safety to children who may bump into the mailbox 100 byaccident. The lid 104, therefore, is movable between open (FIG. 2) andclosed (FIG. 1) configurations. Outer surfaces of the box 102 may becoated with a paint that can be used as a writing or drawing surface.Alternatively, the box 102 may include a writing area 110 on which amessage may be written with a pen, crayon, chalk, or dry erase marker.The writing area 110, therefore, may be of a dry-erase marker board orchalkboard material or other erasable surface.

A flag 106 may be attached to the outside of the mailbox 100. The flagmay be rotated to a vertical position or it may be positionedhorizontally. As another feature, a dial 108 may be mounted to theoutside of the mailbox to show a mail status as either empty or full.Alternatively, a sliding bar or other indicator may be used to show mailstatus. Still further, one or more lights 107 may be positioned on theouter surface and illuminated when mail has been received into themailbox. The lights, of course, may be electrically connected to aprocessor, power source, and sensor that detects the receipt of mail(not shown). The processor may also be connected to a sound generatorthat emits an audible sound when mail is detected (not shown).

The game may include play stamps with an adhesive backing and that havea similar appearance to U.S. Post Office stamps. The game may also haveother accessories, such as, for example, stationary, letters, envelopesand/or notes. A package of letters may be included to personalize themailbox with the child's name. The mailbox may also have other featuressuch as a viewing peep-hole or a light, such as an LED.

Surfaces may be smooth, textured, or ribbed depending on productionsuggestions from the manufacturer. Colors of mailbox may also vary. Somesections on the front of the box may be left smooth and unobstructed toallow for future marketing of Trademark designs, for example,“Spiderman” or “My Little Pony.”

Certain safety features may be incorporated into the mailbox design. Forexample, edges of the mailbox may be rounded or folded for safety. Themailbox may be made of high impact plastic in a variety of colors. Themailbox may also be designed for ease of use. For example, the mailboxmay have a sliding drawer with a knob to pull out or push in the drawer.As another example, the mailbox may have a pivoting drawer.

Another important aspect of this invention is that it may include a packof postcards (not shown) that may be sent through the traditional U.S.Postal Service (USPS) mail to friends and family explaining the mailgame and encouraging them to mail letters, postcards, gifts, and thelike to the parents USPS address for further distribution by the parentsto the toy mailboxes inside the residence. This step essentiallyinitiates the inventive methodology as further described below.

The present invention includes a methodology for playing a mail game.More particularly, a user may mount one or more mailboxes inside aresidence, such as on a door or wall or door outside of a child orparent's bedroom. In addition, a mailbox may be mounted adjacent thedoor, inside a bedroom such as to or adjacent a bed, or even used as afreestanding unit on or adjacent to a dresser or nightstand. Preferably,a mailbox may be mounted to a bedroom door with screws, an adhesive, orone or more magnets. A family member may write messages on the writingarea 110. These messages may be seen as messages to the mail carrier. Achild may pretend that these are messages to passers by in the hallway.Further, a child may be encouraged to write letters to real and/orimaginary family members or friends and to deliver them to the mailboxof a sibling or parent. In turn, received letters may be deposited intothe mailbox of each child. It should be appreciated that items placedwithin a respective mailbox may be real mail first received into afamily's USPS mailbox from an outside source and then redistributed to achild's mailbox, informal letters between family members, gifts from aparent to a child, and the like. When mail has been deposited, asignaling device may be manipulated to indicate the receipt of mail. Forexample, a flag may be raised, a light may be activated, etc. Playstamps may be used to send a letter within a household so that thechildren have the feeling of receiving authentic mail.

It should be appreciated that term “toy mailbox” or “play stamps” shouldbe interpreted to mean that the mailbox or stamps are not governmentsponsored or government approved, but not to imply that this inventionis only a toy for children. Quite to the contrary, the present inventionmay be used by both adults and children and is a means for encouragingfamily unity, promoting increased communication amongst friends andfamily, and imparting the practice of letter writing skills.

It can be seen that the present invention provides an innovative deviceand method of play that encourages children and parent alike tocommunicate with one another using written letters. The presentinvention promotes a level of communication that has largely been lostin an age of high technology and electronic entertainment.

1. A method of playing a mail game, said method comprising: mounting atoy mailbox to a door of a room; depositing mail in the mailbox; andmanipulating a signal device to indicate that mail is deposited in saidmail box.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said mounting includesmounting said toy mailbox with an adhesive.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein said mounting includes mounting said toy mailbox with one ormore magnets.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said depositing mailincludes adhering a play stamp to said mail deposited in said mailbox.5. The method of claim 1, wherein said manipulating said signal deviceincludes raising a flag.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein saidmanipulating said signal device includes illuminating a light.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein said mounting includes mounting said toymailbox inside a residence.
 8. A method of playing a mailbox game,comprising: providing a mailbox having a generally rectangular shape anddefining an open top, said mailbox having a lid pivotally mounted tosaid box with a hinge for selectively covering said open top; mountingsaid mailbox to a door of a bedroom on the inside of a residence;depositing mail in said mailbox; and manipulating a signal device toindicate that mail is deposited in said mailbox.
 9. The method of claim8, wherein said mailbox includes a writing area on an external surfaceof said mailbox; said method further comprising writing a message onsaid writing area so that said message is viewable without opening saidlid.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein said writing area is an erasablesurface.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein said manipulating saidsignal device includes raising a flag.
 12. The method of claim 8,wherein said manipulating said signal device includes illuminating alight.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein said depositing mail includesadhering a play stamp to said mail deposited in said mailbox.
 14. Themethod of claim 8, wherein said mailbox includes side walls havinggenerally rounded edges.
 15. A method of playing a mail game, comprisingthe steps of: providing a toy mailbox having a generally rectangularshape and defining an open top, said mailbox having a lid pivotallymounted to said box with a hinge for selectively covering said open top,said mailbox including a writing area on an external surface of saidmailbox; mounting said mailbox to one of a door, wall, dresser, or bedof a bedroom on the inside of a residence; depositing mail in saidmailbox; and manipulating a signal device to indicate that mail isdeposited in said mailbox.
 16. The mailbox game as in claim 15, whereinsaid writing area is an eraseable surface.
 17. The mailbox game as inclaim 16, wherein said step of manipulating said signal device includesone of raising a flag or illuminating a light.
 18. The mailbox game asin claim 16, further including the step of sending through a traditionalmail service at least one card to a third party not living in the sameresidence in which said toy mailbox is mounted that includes wordsurging said third party to send letters or gifts through saidtraditional mail service to said residence in which said toy mailbox ismounted for further distribution by occupants of said residence to saidtoy mailbox.
 19. The mailbox game as in claim 16, wherein said step ofdepositing mail includes adhering a play stamp to said mail deposited insaid mailbox.
 20. The mailbox game as in claim 15, wherein said mailboxincludes side walls having generally rounded edges.